Low-cal Frozen Dinners Are Abundantly Available But Fall Flat

In Nutrition And Taste

September 14, 1989|By Marian Burros, New York Times News Service.

Just 35 years after the debut of Swanson`s TV dinners, which forever changed mealtime in America, it looks as if frozen meals with less than 300 calories are elbowing such icons as the Hungry Man dinner out of the frozen food case.

There are several hundred low-calorie frozen meals available today.

Newcomers to the market with names like Healthy Choice are joining the old faithfuls like Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers.

The trade journal Advertising Age estimates that last year`s sales of low-calorie frozen dinners and entrees came to $1.5 billion. From 1983 to 1988 sales of these products grew by 24 percent, while sales of traditional frozen meals rose by 13 percent.

Like so many other foods designed for the dieter or the nutritionally aware, not everything that carries the low-calorie label is a nutritional bargain. And when taste is factored in, the pickings are even slimmer.

Earlier this month 46 frozen meals manufactured by 10 companies were bought in Washington for tasting.

The meals met these criteria: all included a claim on the front of the package that they had 300 or fewer calories, and each contained less than 10 grams of fat and less than 850 milligrams of sodium.

That amount of sodium is about one-third of the recommended daily maximum for most people. But for those on a sodium-restricted diet, even that is too much.

While some of the dishes containing 10 grams of fat derived more than 30 percent of their calories from fat, they were included because the percentage of fat could easily be reduced to an acceptable level with the addition of grains and vegetables.

Moreover, while health professionals recommend no more than 30 percent of calories from fat, it is the intake for the entire day that is important.

These criteria eliminated a number of the low-calorie frozen meals found in the supermarket, because their ratio of fat to calories is too high.

For example, the Sirloin Enchilada Ranchero meal from Budget Gourmet Slim has 290 calories and 15 grams of fat or 46.5 percent of its calories in fat.

Others, even some low in calories and fat, were sabotaged by unacceptable amounts of sodium.

Even some of those included in the tasting contained additives such as monosodium glutamate, sodium nitrite and sulfites, substances some people must avoid and others would just as soon do without.

Also, a few of these nominally healthful meals were made with palm oil, a highly saturated fat.

While the tested meals may have a place in the diets of women who are trying to lose weight on 1,000 calories a day or small women who need only 1,200 calories, they do not contain enough calories for the average man or woman or even for a man on a diet.

A man on a diet needs about 1,500 calories a day, so the meals would have to be supplemented with side dishes.

Rosalyn O`Hearn, public affairs manager for Stouffer`s Lean Cuisine in Solon, Ohio, said Lean Cuisine is meant to appeal to ``young women on a diet or concerned about their appearance.``

Susan Hanley, manager of product publicity for ConAgra Consumer Frozen Food Co. in St. Louis, said its Healthy Choice line is for people 40 to 60 years old who are looking for ``easy nutrition, convenience foods that are good for you.``

The company recommends that those who need more food supplement the meals with a cup of soup, a muffin or a piece of fruit.

Consumers who are counting calories should look at labels with special care. Most of these meals are single servings, but some labels may fool you.

For instance, a Mrs. Paul`s package containing two or three fried fish fillets says ``less than 300 calories per serving`` on the front, but the fine print on the back says a serving is a single fillet.

Whether for dieters or not, many of the meals are short of important nutrients.

For the most part they are low in vitamins A and C, and with few exceptions there is no appreciable amount of fiber. And they are not a good source of either iron or calcium.

In other words, these meals should be accompanied by side dishes that contain high levels of the missing nutrients, as well as lots of bulk and not much fat. The calorie content of the side dishes should be determined by the total amount of calories the person needs.

For example, Weight Watchers Seafood Linguini, with 220 calories and 8 grams of fat, could use a salad or a cooked vegetable with a little cheese and some fruit to add both calories and fiber.

Grains and breads are a good choice for those who need to increase the calories and fiber while keeping the fat low. Vegetables provide fiber with little fat and even fewer calories.

After all is said and done about fat and sodium and vitamins and minerals, an essential question for those as concerned about taste as they are about calories remains: do these dinners taste good enough to eat regularly or are they only an emergency alternative to home cooking?